This invention relates to card validating apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for validating a card having positioned thereon a plurality of encoded blocks of data and for controlling the movement of such a card.
In the vending business, vendors are used for dispensing high value items, such as a carton of cigarettes, whose unit price makes it unrealistic to assume that a customer desiring to purchase an item always has the requisite amount of coins and currency available to him for use in the vendor. Consequently, there are advantages in enabling a customer to purchase a vending instrument, such as a card made of plastic or other suitable material, from, for example, a store clerk, and then use the card, at his convenience, to purchase the item. In practice, the customer inserts the card into a vendor, makes his selection, and the selected item is dispensed to the customer with the card being retained in the vendor.
Numerous problems arise in implementing such a purchasing system as outlined above. First, a vendor into which a card is inserted must reliably ascertain the acceptability, or validity, of the card for use in the vendor. This requires the card to have some type of code or identifying feature and for the vendor to have apparatus which can accurately sense the identifying code and make a decision as to the card's validity based upon what is sensed. However, repeated or prolonged usage of such cards tends to obliterate the identifying code and cause rejection of an otherwise valid card to the annoyance and distress of the user. Furthermore, there are myriad security problems in any vending system, including a coded-card operated one, all of which require anticipation thereof and means for preventing fraudulent schemes to obtain the vended merchandise without proper payment therefor. Moreover, card operated devices of any kind are subject to the jamming of the card in the card handling or processing mechanism which renders them inoperable until repaired thus causing economic disadvantages, particularly if the device is a vending machine.